An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary Volume 2

Reference Language Learning Egyptology Historical Linguistics Archaeology Ancient History Classical Studies

Dover’s 1978 two-volume paperback of E. A. Wallis Budge’s An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary remains the most affordable way to own the full 1,300-page unabridged classic. Volume 2 (the second half of the alphabetical sequence) gives you every hieroglyph, transliteration and English meaning that made Budge’s 1920 edition the standard scholars still cite. More than 2,000 small but crisp line drawings crowd the margins, so you can match the exact sign you are looking at on a temple wall, museum artifact or personal jewelry without hunting through separate plates. Because this is the complete Dover photolithographic reprint, nothing is condensed; you get the same page numbers and cross-references the Victorians used, now printed on high-opacity paper that will not ghost-highlight.

Collectors love this 1978 Dover set because it is the last printing that used the sturdy sewn signatures and laminated wraps that stay flat on a desk or field table. The copy offered here shows only light foxing on the top edge—no underlining, dog-eared pages or cracked hinges—so it presents as fresh shelf-candy while still being priced at a fraction of the $200-plus later facsimiles. At 6¾" × 9½" and under two pounds per volume, it is backpack-friendly for museum trips yet substantial enough to anchor any home reference shelf.

For language learners, the dictionary doubles as a self-teaching tool: Budge lists every word under its consonantal root, the same system used in modern Egyptology courses, so you can move seamlessly to Allen’s Middle Egyptian or Hoch’s Middle Egyptian Grammar. Fantasy writers, tattoo artists and jewelry designers prize the volume for the ready-to-trace hieroglyphs and the English-to-Egyptian index that lets you verify the perfect symbol for “protection,” “eternity” or “cat.” Whether you need a reliable source for academic papers, a inspirational visual archive for creative projects, or simply the satisfaction of deciphering ancient inscriptions on your next trip to the British Museum, this clean, tight copy of Volume 2 delivers centuries-old wisdom at an unbeatable used-book price.

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